TEHRAN — The commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, warned protesters that Saturday would be their last day of taking to the streets.
“Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots,” he said.
Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police last month.
They have turned into a popular revolt by furious Iranians from all layers of society, posing one of the boldest since the 1979 revolution.
Rights groups have said at least 250 protesters have been killed and thousands arrested across Iran.
On , video footage on social media showed protesters calling for the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Basij militia, which has played a major role in the crackdown on demonstrators.
